Latin
Whether students should still be dedicating their time to learning Latin is often a controversial topic. As the basis for many European languages, an understanding of Latin can give students tremendous insight into the structures of almost all Indo-European languages. Studying Latin gives students a strong foundation for learning a variety of modern languages. We use many Latin root words in everyday speech, as well as in a variety of technical fields. Because of this, Latin is compulsory for many humanities courses such as history, languages and archaeology. Learning Latin can even help with unrelated languages such as Chinese, because it develops the necessary skills and concepts that are needed as a basis for studying other languages.
Vocabulary
Declinations, Conjugations and Other Grammatical Rules
Syntax (clauses, Accusativus cum infinitivum etc.)
To truly understand a language, students need to know what is happening at the sentence level. In English and French classes, the curriculum often skips over sentence analysis because these languages can be taught in an action-oriented style that is based on reading, writing, listening and speaking. This approach is much more limited when it comes to Latin, because it is no longer spoken by millions of people across the world.
Understanding the grammar and syntax of Latin will also give students an understanding into the structures of all Indo-European languages. Sentence analysis is often easier in Latin, because there are changes to every person, every case, every gender and every number (singular or plural). In French and English, these changes are more minimal. Many students lose patience in the early stages, because they do not absorb these grammar rules properly.
What We Offer
We support our pupils by providing them with texts that have been compiled especially for them. When students see their own name in the text, they often become more interested and can understand the piece more clearly, helping them to give a better analysis.
Translations
Getting students to translate from Latin to German is a great step for building up knowledge of the language. We offer both older and newer teaching materials that are based on the principle of actively applying the grammatical rules. In our experience, many students question the point of learning Latin and give up early on. This causes major problems if the student doesn't receive early intervention.
What We Offer
We provide students with a range of extra texts and other learning resources that vary in difficulty. If students seem like they want to give up in the early stages, we work through translation texts that have been individually adapted for them. Both the level of difficulty and the content of the text are tailored to the student's needs.